METHOD FOR EXTRACTING ODOUR FROM PLANT MATERIAL IN SOLID FORM

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of natural scents and fragrances. More particularly, the invention relates to a process for extracting scents from a plant material and to the provision thereof in solid form. This process combines steps of extraction, gas dissolution, cryogenicization, or even freeze-drying. The scent thus captured in the form of a deep-frozen matrix or of dehydrated powder can be used as a natural perfuming ingredient, in particular in cosmetics. The invention relates very particularly to the obtaining of perfuming extracts derived from mute flowers.

Claims

1. A process for preparing a fragrant ingredient in solid form from a plant material wherein the process comprises: a) providing a plant material; b) performing a treatment of said plant material, in order to obtain a product in a form chosen in the list: liquid, semi-liquid and pasty matrix; c) dissolving a gas in said matrix by passage through a dense zone of gas molecules, such a density being obtained (i) either owing to a flow of the gas generated by the evaporation of a cryogenic fluid, (ii) or by an increase in pressure; and d) Cryogenicizing said gas-rich matrix obtained in c) under pressure and temperature conditions allowing to keep said gas trapped in order to obtain frozen granules, particles or beads;

2. The process of claim 1 further comprising the steps of: a) lyophilizing said granules, particles or beads; and b) obtaining said fragrant ingredient as a dehydrated powder.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein said plant material is obtained from a mute flower.

4. The process of claim 3 wherein said mute flower is selected from lily flower, violet flower, hyacinth, buddleia, peony, freesia, lily of the valley, honeysuckle, gardenia, carnation, pittosporum, Mock Orange, sweet pea, glycine and heliotrope.

5. Process according to claim 1, in which said plant material consists exclusively of petals.

6. Natural fragrant ingredient obtained according to the process of claim 1 in a form chosen in the list: frozen granules, particles, beads and dehydrated powder.

7. (canceled)

8. Ingredient according to claim 5 obtained from a mute flower.

9. A fragrant composition comprising at least one fragrant ingredient obtained from a mute flower as defined in claim 8.

10. Process for preparing a liquid fragrant composition comprising dissolving at least one fragrant ingredient as defined in claim 8.

11. The process of claim 1 wherein the treatment of said plant material at b) is performed under an inert atmosphere.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0056] FIG. 1: Chromatograms obtained by analysis with an AlphaMos Heracels II electronic nose (double ultrafast gas chromatography) of lilac powders prepared by applying the extraction process according to the invention (A: column 1; B: column 2).

EXAMPLES

Example 1: Preparation of Lilac Powders

[0057] Preparation Process

[0058] White lilac flowers and mauve lilac flowers were harvested and processed separately.

[0059] The petals were manually separated from the flowers before passing through an ANGEL 7500 horizontal juice extractor. The juice thus collected was immediately treated in an equipment making it possible to cryogenize it while trapping dissolved gas therein, for example according to the process described in patent WO2019/234341. The frozen beads thus obtained were then freeze-dried according to standard conditions in a CHRIST alpha 1-8 freeze-dryer until “dry” powders (no more loss of measured weight) were obtained.

Powders Features

[0060] The first remarkable feature comes from the quantity of powder thus obtained. For the two flowers treated, the powder yields were of about 5%, which is very high since no carrier agent was added and that it therefore corresponds only to matter that was initially present in the petals. Lyophilization additives are generally added to the preparations to be freeze-dried, in order to guarantee the presence of a dry extract sufficient to bind molecules of interest during the treatment and also to reduce the production costs. The yield obtained during this preparation is already very convincing regarding these two points without the need for any additive.

[0061] The second very remarkable feature is the smells of the products thus obtained, which have been very clearly identified as being those of the two respective flowers by the different panels tested. Electron nose analyses (FIGS. 1A and 1B) have also made it possible to confirm the presence, in the product, of characteristic peaks associated with chemical compounds known to be significantly contributing to lilac flowers fragrances: [0062] (E)-ocimere, which is the major component; [0063] lilac aldehydes and lilac alcohols, which each have several dimers and are part of the most characteristic compounds; [0064] benzyl methyl ether, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene and indole, which are the other compounds that are characteristic of the lilac fragrance.

[0065] The peaks were identified on the chromatograms using their retention indices on each column. The reference data are those of the software associated with the measurement apparatus Heracles II and of the WebBook of the NIST, available in particular from the address: https://webbook.nist.gOv/chemistry/#Search.

[0066] Lilac being one of the so-called “mute” flower, it is all the more remarkable to have succeeded in obtaining, in a relatively large amount, a product which meets the requirement in terms of smell for its use as ingredient for perfumery or cosmetic products.

Example 2: Preparation of Jasmine Powders

[0067] Jasmine flowers were collected.

[0068] The petals and pistils were manually separated before passing through an ANGEL 7500 horizontal juice extractor. Part of the juices thus collected were immediately treated in an equipment making it possible to cryogenize them while trapping dissolved gas therein, for example according to the method described in patent WO 2019/234341. The frozen beads thus obtained were then freeze-dried according to standard conditions in a CHRIST alpha 1-8 freeze-dryer until “dry” powders (no more loss of measured weight) were obtained. In the other juice fractions, each of which representing 200 g, 50 g of maltodextrins were added each time, and the mixtures thus obtained were then subjected to the same process as described previously, until powders were obtained. The powder yields of powder thus obtained are: [0069] approx. 5% for petals without adding maltodextrins; [0070] approx. 10% for the pistils without adding maltodextrins; [0071] approx. 30% for petals with addition of maltodextrins; [0072] approx. 35% for the pistils with addition of maltodextrins;

[0073] All the products obtained have a scent which is much similar to that of the starting flower.

[0074] The choice of adding or not adding a carrier agent such as maltodextrins depends on the starting matrix and on the desired quality of product. For certain products, the dry powder alone can revert to a liquid state, this is the case in particular when the oily fraction is too large; in this case, it is necessary to add a carrier agent at the step of lyophilization. On the other hand, by adding a carrier agent, the yield is increased as illustrated above, which is economically advantageous, and allows standardization of the products.